Around a bend and across a bridge from the ultra-popular Bistro Italian restaurant at Gervasi Vineyard, can be found a very different new Gervasi venue, The Crush House. Where The Bistro has a rustic, Tuscan feel and an Italian-focused menu, The Crush House, which opened in early October, has a modern industrial decor, a well-focused smaller menu with lower prices than The Bistro, and more of a wine-bar feel.

There's a casual, contemporary vibe to the two-level venue, and the cuisine is carefully prepared, visually enticing, fresh and delectable. I'm eager to return with friends to sample wines and share small plates.

On a recent Saturday afternoon visit, the server was warmly welcoming, informative about the menu and unobtrusively attentive.

From the list of nine shareable, small-plate starters, billed as cicchetti, we chose two, both recommended. The loaded Italian potato skins, $7 for three, were smothered with mozzarella and provolone cheese over garlic cream, dotted with crispy pancetta (Italian bacon) and sprinkled with ribbons of scallion. The sublime crispy fig crostatas, $7 for three triangular wedges, are a kind of quesadilla-meets-baklava creation, the thin pastry crust filled with rich and creamy fig, then drizzled with honey and sprinkled with roasted walnuts. (This one could be saved for dessert.)

Other cicchetti options, $5 to $10, include a nutty, rosemary-infused Chex mix; three meatballs with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella; charcuterie plates of cheeses or Italian meats, and a shrimp cocktail.

Other sandwiches are Tuscan chicken with sauteed zucchini, green onions and bell peppers; Parma with prosciutto, mozarella, basil, tomato and balsamic vinegar, and Vegetariano with eggplant, mozarella and diavalo sauce.

The warm and satisfying shrimp and chorizo pastina bowl, very ample for $9, has a generous number of shrimp tossed with ground sausage, orzo pasta, zucchini and a rich garlic cream sauce. Other pastas, all with orzo, include beef short ribs and ricotta in marinara; Greek chicken with feta cheese, olives, tomato, and peppers in aglio olio, and a meatless option with seasonal vegetables, fresh herbs and white wine.

Sides for pairing with sandwiches and pastas, $4 apiece, are soup (Tuscan kale and white bean, cream of chicken with vegetable), tossed salad, fresh fruit and garden pasta. Sorbets and gelatos ($4) are available for dessert.

A friend and I opted to split the Crush house salad, $6, generously topped with pancetta, thinly sliced apples, raisins, crumbled gorgonzola and tossed with housemade maple dressing. Our server had it sent out in two artfully arranged, and substantial, bowls. There's also an Italian cobb, and a fresh fruit salad with granola and yogurt.

The attention to detail at the Crush House is notable, from the the atypical white plates and bowls and black paper napkins, to the red wine-bottle light fixtures suspended over the bar to the illuminated, wine bottle-shaped sinks in the restrooms. Even the bottled peach iced tea and pomegranate soda were first-rate.

Page 2 of 2 - Gervasi being a vineyard — The Crush House features a large glass window into the wine-making operation — there are plenty of wine options at the new restaurant. The menu lists 19 wines available by the glass or bottle. There are wine cocktails, too, including Romeo ($8), made with Cabernet Sauvignon, cola, muddled blueberry and mint; and Juliet ($6), with rose', Sprite, muddled strawberries and basil. The GV Tour ($8.50) offers one-ounce tastings of the three most popular red wines and three most popular whites.

Live music is offered from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and there is a happy hour with drink specials from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday. The Crush House does not take reservations.